Adventures in Agriculture

Asparagus

I hated asparagus growing up. It was probably my least favorite vegetable. Well, second. Mushrooms were definitely first, but I’m not sure they count as a vegetable or fungus. Anyways. I don’t know if it was the taste or texture, but just the thought of asparagus was enough to make me gag.

It took about 25 years, but I finally grew out of my distaste and these days asparagus is one of my favorite veggies! I wish it had a longer season, but then I’m not sure I would love it quite as much. I certainly wouldn’t appreciate it. That’s part of the beauty of eating seasonally.

Confession: I do occasionally cave to a midwinter craving and buy imported asparagus. When the winter blues are getting to me and I’m longing for spring, I’ll give in an buy some, hoping for a taste of spring. It never quite lives up to my expectations and I am reminded why some things are worth the wait.

English: asparagus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The easiest way to cook asparagus is to steam or boil it, but easy isn’t always best. My go-to method for cooking asparagus is to toss it with olive oil and balsamic and roast it for 15 or so minutes. It is almost as fast as steaming (if you don’t factor in pre-heating the oven) and so much tastier. It also pairs very nicely with cheese (what doesn’t?), bacon, nuts, and hollandaise sauce.